1. Field of the Invention
This invention generally relates to mechanisms for holding surface contact cards of electronic devices, and more particularly to a SIM card receiving mechanism for holding a SIM card in an electronic device.
2. Prior Art
Surface contact cards having special circuits are widely used in electronic devices to enhance or specialize the functions of the electronic devices.
For example, a subscriber identity module (SIM) card is placed in a portable phone to dedicate the phone""s functions to the SIM card owner. By changing SIM cards, a single phone can be used by many SIM card owners as a personal phone.
A conventional mechanism for holding a SIM card includes a base made of insulating material and a cover pivotally attached to the base. The base is mounted on a printed circuit board (PCB) of a mobile phone and comprises a plurality of pin contacts. The cover is rotated upwardly to an open position, and the SIM card is inserted into receiving grooves which are provided on opposite sides of the cover. Then, the cover is rotated downwardly to the closed position so that the contact pads of the SIM card are brought into electrical contact with the pin contacts on the base.
In order to simplify a structure of a card connector and to provide a connector for situations where insufficient space is available to pivot a cover, U.S. Pat. No. 5,823,828 discloses an improved structure for holding a SIM card. The structure comprises a dielectric support that forms a card-holding recess and a cover that holds the card down against contacting ends of pin contacts mounted on the support. The cover can be slideable on the support. When the card is fully inserted into the recess, with a rear edge of the card abutting an inner rear wall of the support, the front edge of the card projects forward from a front end of the support so that the card can be readily pulled out of the support.
However, it may still be inconvenient to change the SIM card if the card-holding recess is very small, even though the front edge of the card projects forward from the front end of the support.
Accordingly, an object of the present invention is to provide a SIM card receiving mechanism for holding a SIM card in an electronic device, which renders the SIM card easy to change.
To achieve the above-mentioned object, a SIM card receiving mechanism for holding a SIM card in an electronic device includes a first recess and a securing assembly. An elastic element is formed to protrude in the first recess. The securing assembly includes a second recess and a slideable element. The second recess is in communication with the first recess. The slideable element is slideably received in the second recess. The slideable element is moved toward the first recess to hold the SIM card down in the first recess. To remove the SIM card, the slideable element is moved away from the first recess and the elastic element pushes the SIM card upwardly, causing it to protrude from the first recess. The SIM card receiving mechanism of the present invention makes it easier for a consumer to change a SIM card.
Other objects, advantages and novel features of the present invention will be drawn from the following detailed description of preferred embodiments of the present invention.